Recent Issues in Food Safety and Nutrition 1990-2015

The website is http://www.foodsafetypolicy.com

Information from wikipedia

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Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of four to five years, all breeds being equally susceptible.[1] In the United Kingdom, the country worst affected, more than 180,000 cattle have been infected and 4.4 million slaughtered during the eradication program.

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Genetically modified foods (or GM foods) are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise[1] than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding; plant breeding, and animal breeding, and somaclonal variation.

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Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Debates on genetic food safety include such issues as impact of genetically modified food on health of further generations and genetic pollution of environment, which can destroy natural biological diversity. In developed countries there are intricate standards for food preparation, whereas in lesser developed countries the main issue is simply the availability of adequate safe water, which is usually a critical item. In theory food poisoning is 100% preventable.

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Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet.

The diet of an organism is what it eats, which is largely determined by the perceived palatability of foods. Dietitians are health professionals who specialize in human nutrition, meal planning, economics, and preparation. They are trained to provide safe, evidence-based dietary advice and management to individuals (in health and disease), as well as to institutions. Clinical nutritionists are health professionals who focus more specifically on the role of nutrition in chronic disease, including possible prevention or remediation by addressing nutritional deficiencies before resorting to drugs.

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Business education involves teaching students the fundamentals, theories, and processes of business. Education in this field occurs at several levels, including secondary education and higher education or university education.

These courses prepare students for an occupation in business or a business-related field, or a teaching career in academia.

At the university level, students have the opportunity to take general business courses, or to seek a specific degree in business studies. Courses offered vary by school, but typically include basic selections such as Accounting, Marketing, Finance, and Operations Management.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_zLTu9RR9E

10 Unbelievable Recent Medical Discoveries

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7. Tiny Pacemakers – The first pacemaker was implanted in 1958 and since then the technology has improved in fits and starts. While there hasn’t been much improvement in the last couple of decades, that is all about to change. Medtronic, the company that created the first pacemaker, is set to redefine the industry. Its newest model will only be the size of a vitamin and can be implanted via a catheter. This new technique to implant the device has been highly successful, improving the complication rate by over 50%. Now 96% of patients report no major complications.

6. Brain Implants – Researchers at the Ohio State University are working on brain implants to read a patients’ brain impulses in order to control prosthetics. Their test subject, Ian Burkhart is paralyzed from the chest down but has been able to re-train his brain to issue commands to a special prosthetic sleeve on his arm in order to pour drinks. To accomplish this, the doctors implanted a microchip in his brain which translates electrical impulses in the brain into movement. Right now this device is a proof of concept, but the researchers are making steady gains and hope to have a product to bring to the market in the near future.

5. Artificial Skin – Improving the look of aging skin has been the Holy Grail for dermatologists since…forever. Artificial skin grafts are currently available and they have steadily improved, however, two new breakthroughs may revolutionize the industry. An MIT scientist named Robert Langer has developed a polymer based “second skin” which mimics the appearance of youthful skin instantly when applied. The downside right now is that it only lasts a few days. Not to be outdone, UC Riverside chemistry professor, Chao Wang, is working on a conductive mesh polymer that can actually self-heal. Apparently a fan of the Marvel character Wolverine, and his ability to self-heal, he says he is “trying to bring science fiction into the real world.”

4. Bio glass Cartilage – Scientists have recently created a material the call “bio glass”. Bio glass is a 3D printed silica-polymer combination that combines the strength and flexibility necessary to provide a viable replacement for human cartilage. As proposed the bio glass can be used as a scaffold to allow human cartilage to regrow, but it also has self-healing properties as well, allowing the material to re-bond if torn. Research is still be conducted but the scientists hope to start clinical trials in the near future.

3. Google Eye Implant – That’s right, the same company that provides the search engine millions of people use every day also has a medical division. Their latest project – the Google Contact Lens – is an implantable lens that can be used to replace the eye’s natural one. The obvious goal is to improve vision for the patient, but this device offers so much more. It could potentially read blood pressure, record glucose levels for diabetics, wirelessly update your doctor, and even restore vision for the blind. It is currently in clinical trials. Let’s hope it comes to the market sooner rather than
later.

2. Ghost Hearts – A new technique has been developed for those needing heart transplants. Doris Taylor from the Texas Heart Institute has pioneered a new technique which involves taking a donor animal heart and bathing it in a solution that strips away all of the animal’s cells, except for the protein. The remaining “ghost heart” can then be treated with a solution of the patients own stem cells to have them use the animal heart structure to regrow a new heart for the patient. The heart is then hooked up to a bioreactor – an artificial circulatory system, until it is ready for implantation.

1. Injectable Brain Mesh – Researchers from Harvard University have created a conductive polymer mesh that can be injected into the brain where it morphs to the brain tissue. The researchers believe that the mesh could actually monitor the brain down to the individual neuron level. They hope to one day be able to treat stroke patients and those suffering from other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. They also hope to achieve a better understanding of higher level cognitive functions, such as emotions and memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGtEZRUwdmY